EFL Cup semi-final: What we learned from Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal

Football writer Ninad Barbadikar analyses Wednesday night's EFL Cup semi-final second leg at St James' Park.

Newcastle United 2-0 (4-0 agg.) Arsenal

A relentless Newcastle United sealed another visit to Wembley Stadium for the EFL Cup final on Sunday 16 March after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the semi-final second leg at St James’ Park, making it a 4-0 victory on aggregate.

This victory marked Magpies boss Eddie Howe’s fifth win over Mikel Arteta in all competitions, with only Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, with nine and six respectively, managing more over the Spaniard in his time as Arsenal manager.

With more cup action on the way for Newcastle, this victory will be a welcome boost after back-to-back home defeats against AFC Bournemouth and Fulham in the Premier League.

The result was made all the more special as it was the 14th anniversary of the 4-4 draw between the two sides where Cheick Tiote scored a memorable screamer. His son Rafael was among the mascots for the game.

Jacob Murphy made it 14 goal involvements in all competitions for Newcastle this season, his best for the club in a single campaign, when he swept home a rebound from Alexander Isak’s powerful effort. Anthony Gordon proved to be too much to handle once again, scoring the second goal.

Isak was a constant threat throughout and though he couldn’t find the back of the net, he certainly made his presence felt in attack.

Isak haunts Arsenal again

The story of the first half was how Isak managed to haunt Arsenal’s defence again, and in particular centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel.

After scoring in the first leg and registering his 50th goal in all competitions for Newcastle, all eyes were on the Swede.

His joy was cut short by VAR early on when he thought he had given the hosts a dream start after four minutes with a clinical finish past David Raya.

Fourteen minutes after that disappointment, Isak sped away from Saliba once again, this time only managing to hit a post, with the ball falling kindly to Murphy, who finished for the opener.

Murphy's goal v Arsenal

Even without a goal on the night, Isak proved to be a constant nuisance for Arsenal’s centre-backs, with his willingness to run the channels and support the likes of Gordon and Murphy a standout feature of the contest.

Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes was quick to shower Isak with praise after game.

“Isak is the best striker these days for me,” said the Brazil international.

After notching in the first leg, Isak’s partner-in-crime Gordon was on target once again in a tireless display against the Gunners.

Gordon's goal v Arsenal

The 23-year-old put in a shift off the ball for his side, winning seven out of 15 ground duels, while also attempting more shots and dribbles than any other player on the pitch, with four and six respectively.

Gordon was careful to get too carried away after the game, though.

“It is important for us to stay humble now,” said the former Everton man, which appeared to be a small jibe at Arsenal in reference to Erling Haaland's post-match comments made to them back in September.

Toothless Arsenal fail to impose

Arteta spoke about the importance of the first goal in this game in his pre-match press conference, though unfortunately for him, it was his side that conceded it.

After creating plenty in the first leg, accumulating an Expected Goals (xG) of 3.09, Arsenal’s attack fell flat at St James’ Park, managing an xG of just 0.94 on Wednesday night. That tally came from 11 shots, with only three on target.

And their frustrating night was summarised in a short passage of play before Murphy scored, as Martin Odegaard struck the frame of the goal while the scoreline still read 0-0 on the night.

It is a credit to Howe’s decision to switch to a back three in the absence of Joelinton in the midfield, as Sven Botman returned alongside the experienced Kieran Trippier. Either side of Botman were Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, the trio managing to keep a lid on Arsenal’s attack all night, dominating in the air and on the ground.

Joelinton’s absence was more than made up for as it was Schar that pressed high on Declan Rice at the edge of the box from an Arsenal goal-kick for the second goal.

With such size and physicality at the back, Arsenal centre-forward Kai Havertz had little luck in front of goal on the night, managing only one shot.

The Gunners also had to contend with an injury to Gabriel Martinelli in the first half, who was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri. The Brazilian suffered a suspected hamstring injury, so it could potentially mean more minutes for the 17-year-old, who already has seven goals in all competitions this season.

What next for both teams?

Due to Newcastle reaching the final, their Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace, scheduled for Saturday 15 March, will need to be given a new date. An announcement for this will be made in due course.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will now definitely host Chelsea on Sunday 16 March.

Without cup competitions to worry about, the Gunners can come back from their Dubai break refreshed and energised to channel all of their energies into the Premier League, starting with a trip to Leicester City on Saturday 15 February.

Meanwhile, the Magpies will head to Wembley once again in search of silverware, with just one game standing between them and a first trophy for the club in 70 years. On their last visit, they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 2023 EFL Cup final.

They will discover their opponents on Thursday night following the second leg between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, with Ange Postecoglou’s side holding a 1-0 lead.